E-Cigarettes Tied To More Teen Tobacco Use

11/9/2016 1:45 PM ET

A new study shows that teens who "vape" e-cigarettes are more likely to move on to regular cigarettes. The survey was conducted over ten Los Angeles county schools.

The study was published November 8 in the Journal of American Medical Association. Leading researcher Adam Leventhal cited that, "teens who vape frequently are more than twice as likely to start smoking on about a weekly basis." Leventhal went on to say, "The more you vape, the more likely in the future you're going to be smoking (cigarettes). You're going to be smoking more frequently and you're going to smoke more cigarettes per day on your smoking days." The reason is suspected to be the association, rather than the cause and effect.

The study also finds that the kids seemed to be more desensitized to cigarettes after regular vaping. The sensation of smoking became more natural than that of a person trying cigarettes for the first time with no prior experience to vaping.